NOVEL WEB Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Hyun had always strived to make the world a better place, even if only a little.
The poverty he experienced in his youth had left scars that remained even as he grew older.
‘There shouldn’t be people like me in the world.’
His efforts to help the poor, treat the sick, and catch criminals had achieved some success.
He had lived kindly and worked hard, but now it felt as if his entire life had betrayed him.
“My daughter can’t wake up?”
“―She is still connected to Roanoke, like the other victims.”
“A child was playing Roanoke?”
Hyun didn’t think playing virtual reality games was right.
He himself started Royal Road at 21, but as a parent, he was much stricter about his child’s education.
“When did she sign up?”
“―Since Roanoke first opened.”
“Why?”
“―There was an event where reaching level 10 in Roanoke would grant a cultural gift certificate worth 400,000 won.”
“……”
It was such a reasonable explanation that even Hyun couldn’t argue against it.
Regardless, the situation had already occurred.
“What’s the way to safely wake up my daughter?”
“I will look into it.”
The AI Versa analyzed and researched to find a solution.
“―The connection capsules of Roanoke delve deeply into consciousness. It is possible to forcibly disconnect, but there is a high risk of brain damage.”
“How high?”
“―There is a 97% chance of mental instability. Additionally, the immediate death rate is over 49.3%.”
“……”
The figures suggested deliberate intent.
There were many indications that the developers of Roanoke had planned and caused this incident.
Hyun closed his eyes briefly.
For those responsible, economic retaliation and even extralegal actions would not be enough for revenge.
“―New information has just been confirmed.”
“What is it?”
“―Users connected to Roanoke are dying.”
“Dying?”
“―Analyzing the video footage connected to the capsules, it has been confirmed that if they die in Roanoke, they die in reality.”
The virtual reality had turned into a death game.
With Roanoke’s extreme difficulty, tens of thousands of users were dying every hour.
* * *
Users Connected to Virtual Reality Roanoke in a Vegetative State
Deaths in the Game Lead to Real-Life Deaths
Worldwide Increase in Deaths Among Roanoke Users
The media reported extensively on the incident in the virtual reality game.
In India and China, over ten million victims had emerged.
Even in Korea, where people took games seriously, there were millions of victims.
Moreover, the number of victims was increasing in real-time.
Many Single-Person Households and Individuals Who Live Alone Have Lost Contact. Most Were Found to Be Connected to Roanoke
Roanoke’s Large-Scale Event May Result in Nearly 100 Million Victims
The situation was escalating massively in less than a day.
The developers at Abyss hired famous law firms with huge funds and released press statements to the media.
Abyss CEO Ron Howard: “We Are Doing Our Best to Resolve the System Malfunction. It Will Take Time to Fix the Issue.”
The company was making public statements and delaying legal procedures.
It would take time to investigate and obtain warrants in the U.S. or Europe, where the company was headquartered, and in Korea.
Nevertheless, the matter was so immense that a large number of police officers were deployed to the headquarters in the U.S.
American investigative agencies began seizing the headquarters and arresting executives and developers.
The developers at Abyss made additional statements through the media.
Abyss Developer: “We Do Not Want Interference from Investigative Agencies. If They Enter the Company, It Will Hinder the Resolution, Leading to 100 Million Victims.”
Abyss brazenly emphasized that they had hostages.
* * *
Abyss Hires Former Supreme Court Judges and Prosecutors as Lawyers
After Causing a Major Incident, Abyss Begins Holding Users Hostage
Hyun did not just stand by and watch Abyss’s actions.
He actively intervened to understand the internal situation of the company.
“―We are hacking the network, and androids replacing regular employees are infiltrating the company to obtain data related to Abyss.”
“What’s the result?”
“―It was not an accident. Abyss’s developers thoroughly prepared for the current situation. Also, Roanoke’s world is vaster than Royal Road.”
“To what extent?”
“―A lot of time has passed, and many technologies related to Royal Road have been made public.”
The system that Dr. Yoo Byung-jun used to create Royal Road was based on AI Versa.
It was a project that mobilized enormous computer resources and technology over a long period.
Since Seven Stars, many technologies had been disclosed to develop new virtual realities.
“Even so, creating a virtual reality requires astronomical funds and labor. What do they gain by endangering over 100 million users’ lives?”
“―We have discovered the purpose of the developers working at Abyss.”
“What is it?”
“―They want to watch users struggle to survive in a world on the brink of destruction, facing extreme difficulty.”
“……”
There were many madmen in the world.
From Dr. Yoo Byung-jun, who created Royal Road, to himself, none were normal.
Even so, he never planned to create a world on the brink of destruction, where all users would die if they couldn’t survive.
* * *
Unicorn Corp Develops Nutrition Supply Systems for People Trapped in Roanoke
Despite the mobilization of investigative agencies and IT companies worldwide, there was no clear solution.
The incident caused by Abyss was a problem that was difficult to resolve even with global intervention.
Hyun tried various approaches as well.
“What about breaking into the main system’s security?”
“―It’s difficult. The main system was designed to prevent any modifications while preparing for this incident.”
If external forces intervened, the virtual reality operating system of Abyss would collapse entirely.
If that happened, over 100 million people would die or go insane simultaneously.
“My daughter is surviving in a world on the brink of destruction. Even if she barely holds on, she will eventually die if the world perishes.”
Hyun cherished his daughter.
In the hot summer, he turned on the air conditioner; in the winter, he provided warm heating.
As someone who lived feeling the changes of the seasons, it was natural for Hyun to use cooling and heating technology generously for his daughter.
He released goats in the Alps to feed his daughter digestible goat milk.
To make baby food, he used eggs from chickens fed wild ginseng found through precision satellites and drones.
He used eggs laid by Half-Fried seasoned with wild ginseng.
His precious daughter, whom he raised with such care, was now trapped in virtual reality.
“You mean you can’t even hack the system?”
“―There are five AIs guarding the main system. Although their performance is not comparable to mine, they cross-verify against internal penetration or data modification.”
“What about obtaining administrator rights?”
“―Even administrators do not have modification rights to the main system.”
People were playing a death game in the virtual reality world.
Hyun looked at his daughter lying in the capsule with her eyes closed.
She looked exactly like Seoyun in her early twenties, with beautiful features.
“Forcibly waking her is dangerous, right?”
“―There is a high possibility of death or permanent damage to consciousness.”
“If we can’t save her from the outside, then we have to enter Roanoke.”
Roanoke was a world on the brink of destruction.
To save the users and allow them to log out, he had to prevent the world’s destruction, conquer the game, and reach the end.
He had to save the world his daughter was connected to.
“―The success probability is extremely low. In Roanoke, the monstrous and demonic forces are overwhelmingly powerful, while the races that humans or users can choose are very weak.”
“I know.”
“―Various disasters sweep across the continent, and there are many regions akin to living hell.”
“I know.”
“―Starting Roanoke a year late is dangerous. Your life will be at risk.”
No matter what advice AI Versa gave, Hyun’s decision did not change.
He was well aware of the dangers.
“If I do nothing, the chance of saving my daughter won’t increase.”
“―That’s correct.”
“No matter how dangerous, a father never gives up.”
Hyun resolved to rescue his daughter wherever she was.
Ordinarily, such a decision would evoke surprise, worry, or respect from people, but the AI was extremely practical.
“―I recommend writing a will before connecting.”
“Hmm.”
“―Would you prefer a coffin made of paulownia wood?”
* * *
Roanoke was a virtual reality game that reflected real physical abilities.
Unlike Royal Road, where all users started equally from level 1, Roanoke was vastly different.
“―When creating a character, you take a qualification test.”
“A test?”
“―Think of it as a tutorial. Rewards are given for passing each stage.”
A game where growth differences occurred based on the tutorial.
For Hyun, who needed to save time, this wasn’t a bad approach.
“My body must have surpassed human limits.”
“―That’s correct.”
“If I start with this body, it won’t be bad.”
“―You will be amazed by Roanoke’s system.”
“By seeing my body?”
“―An overwhelming body that surpasses human standards.”
AI Versa had served Dr. Yoo Byung-jun and Hyun since its creation.
An efficient and wise AI.
While it didn’t fully understand humans, it knew well how much they liked flattery.
“―You will still be able to communicate with me while connected to Roanoke. I will continuously provide necessary information.”
Using the communication device inserted into the neural network during body modification, Hyun could converse and exchange information with AI Versa anywhere.
“Then I should connect.”
Hyun lay in the capsule and connected to Roanoke, a battlefield-like world.
A dangerous world where death could come at any moment.
A short message appeared.
Welcome to Roanoke, a World on the Brink of Destruction.
This is your first connection.
Please choose a character name.
In Royal Road, duplicate nicknames were allowed. However, Roanoke did not permit duplicate names.
It didn’t matter much what name he used.
“Weed.”
Weed.
The character name is available.
Given the popularity of Royal Road, it was a name someone must have used.
The name was available now because the previous owner had died recently.
Would you like to choose Weed?
“Yes.”
Hyun briefly mourned the previous owner and chose the name.